There is increasing use of digital health solutions in heart failure, but few studies have demonstrated its impact on public healthcare systems in North America. Heart failure is on the rise with 750,000 Canadians living with the disease and more than 100,000 receiving a diagnosis each year.2 Heart failure is one of the top reasons why people in Canada are hospitalized.2 By 2030, the healthcare costs associated with heart failure in Canada are expected to reach $2.8 billion per year.2
The three-month randomized controlled trial for heart failure outpatients at risk of hospitalization evaluated the CONTINUUM program versus standard of care alone. This program included: 1. A self-care app via smartphone or tablet where patients entered vital signs, weight, and heart failure symptoms; 2. Remote monitoring of these data by the CHUM’s clinical nurses; 3. Digital therapeutics automated medication suggestions sent to the treating medical team; and 4. Heart failure educational modules for patients – all based on Greybox Solutions’ Takecare platform.
The preliminary results show that the number of ER visits and/or hospitalizations (all cause) per patient was 0.19±0.47 for the intervention group and 0.55±0.89 for the control one (P=0.05). Survival analysis showed a trend in favor of the intervention group (95 days (CI95% 87-104) vs 78 days (CI95% 68-89); P=0.08). The total cost of healthcare consumption (hospitalizations + ER visits) in the intervention group was $134,088 CAD vs $174,924 CAD in the control group (+30%).
“Given the prevalence of heart failure and the seriousness of the condition, there is a real need for innovative solutions that can help improve patient outcomes and quality of life,” says Dr. François Bernard Tournoux, Cardiologist at the CHUM, Associate Professor, University of Montréal, FRQS Clinical Researcher at the CHUM Research Centre and principal investigator of the trial. “The encouraging preliminary results from the CONTINUUM trial support further study in preventing major heart failure events, involving patients as partners in care, all at a reduced cost for the healthcare system.”
A total of 171 patients were included in the trial. Preliminary results are available for the first 63 patients that completed the study, 32 intervention (INT) and 31 control (CTRL). Patients were similar in age (70±12 vs 69±13y), NYHA class (II 81 vs 87%), patients with ejection fraction <40% (56 vs 48%) and comorbidities such as diabetes (38 vs 45%; INT vs CTRL).
The CONTINUUM program is a partnership between the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), the CHUM Research Centre, MEDTEQ+, Greybox Solutions Inc., Mitacs, PROMPT, and Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd./ Ltée. Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. had no role in the design or conduct of the study.
About CHUM The Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montreal (CHUM) is an innovative hospital devoted to serving patients and the Quebec population. The CHUM adopts an integrated approach to health and the population which is expressed in all aspects of its mission such as, care, teaching, research, management and innovation, as well as in partnership with the patient and citizen (SERGIP). To achieve the objective of continuous improvement in the health of the population, management of the care trajectory and the life trajectory of patients has been implemented using data analyzed by artificial intelligence from genetic and environmental information. In collaboration with other speakers in the health and social services network (RSSS), the CHUM offers the best specialized care and services based on constantly updated scientific knowledge. chumontreal.qc.ca
About Greybox Solutions Inc. Greybox Solutions Inc., a Montreal-based healthcare technology company, is a pioneer in the development of Digital Therapies (DTx). Integrating a multitude of technologies within its Takecare platform – versatile, accessible and revolutionary – Greybox offers a modern solution to the numerous and complex challenges at the heart of the healthcare system. Creator of a technological solution offering a simple and dynamic alternative for monitoring chronic diseases, Greybox Solutions, in partnership with the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) and Boehringer Ingelheim Canada, has clinically demonstrated the effectiveness of its DTx solution in the field of heart failure. Clinical applications are currently being evaluated in the areas of healthcare related to heart disease, lung disease, mental health and newborn care, among others. www.greybox.ca
About MEDTEQ+ MEDTEQ+, a pan-Canadian consortium for industrial research and innovation in healthcare technologies, aims to accelerate the development of innovative technological solutions to improve people’s health and quality of life. MEDTEQ+ supports the validation of these technologies, their integration into the healthcare network, their commercialization, as well as their local and international outreach, by bringing together the complementary skills of industrial and institutional partners and healthcare providers. MEDTEQ+ offers support, subsidies, and investment services to innovative companies. Since December 2022, MEDTEQ+ has also been the lead partner in the envisAGE initiative, which aims to catalyze the AgeTech ecosystem and help companies grow and scale in the AgeTech market. MEDTEQ+ relies, among other things, on financial support from the Government of Quebec, the Government of Canada, the private sector, and complementary partners to foster research-industry relationships. www.medteq.ca
Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. Boehringer Ingelheim is working on breakthrough therapies that transform lives, today and for generations to come. As a leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company, the company creates value through innovation in areas of high unmet medical need. Founded in 1885 and family-owned ever since, Boehringer Ingelheim takes a long-term, sustainable perspective. More than 53,000 employees serve over 130 markets in the two business units, Human Pharma and Animal Health. The Canadian headquarters of Boehringer Ingelheim was established in 1972 in Montreal, Quebec and is now located in Burlington, Ontario. Boehringer Ingelheim employs approximately 500 people across Canada. Learn more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/ca
SOURCE Boehringer Ingelheim Canada LTD.
For further information: MEDIA CONTACTS: Andrée-Anne Toussaint, Communication Advisor, Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), Email: [email protected], Telephone: 514 890-8000, extension 23675; Anne Coffey, Corporate Communications, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., Email: [email protected], Telephone: 416-526-5388
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
